"Do you know where your children are?" is a popular question used as a public service announcement for parents on American television. Its heyday was throughout the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, but has made a comeback as of late. The question is usually asked around 10:00PM or 11:00PM, depending on the market and/or the time of the local youth curfew, usually before the station's evening newscast. The phrase originated from Buffalo, New York's long time ABC affiliate WKBW, and was possibly inspired by a Scottish bedtime story.
Today, perhaps, an equally important (from a family health point-of-view) question just might be, “Do you know how your food is grown?” It seems that hardly a week goes by and we see a news story about contaminated food being recalled from our grocery stores.
Do you ever wonder how much contaminate foods slip by and we never get to be warned by a news story. Sometimes the contamination is from a pathogen. You almost never hear a news story that your food is covered in questionable pesticides. We know that many folks drink bottled water to protect themselves and their family from the trace elements that our in our municipal water supplies.
The standard levels of “acceptable” contaminations and biological burdens are “safe” or so the story goes from government bodies that are meant to keep us safe. Many times these standard levels are adjusted downward as we learn more about long term effects of exposure to industrial chemicals and other “acceptable” adulterants.
We see the word “organic” on many food items in our stores. That is put there to make the consumer feel safer when buying those products. Since no one governs the use of that “organic” label what does it actually mean? Are products labeled “organic safer than products without that buzz word?
Oranges from Brazil (and other countries) can be sprayed with pesticides that are illegal to use in the United States. Food contamination refers to the presence in food of harmful chemicals. Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels and tolerable concentrations of contaminants are something most consumers don't know about.
Some areas to consider are:
Air: radionuclides (137Caesium, 90Strontium), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
Water: arsenic, mercury
Soil: cadmium, nitrates, perchlorates
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), dioxins, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are ubiquitous chemicals
Packaging Materials: antimony, tin, lead, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), semicarbazide, benzophenone, isopropyl thioxanthone (ITX), bisphenol A
Processing/cooking equipment: aluminum, copper, or other metal contaminates, lubricants, cleaning, and sanitizing agents
Naturally occurring toxins: mycotoxins, phytohaemagglutinin, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, grayanotoxin, mushroom toxins, scombrotoxin (histamine), ciguatera, shellfish toxins (see shellfish poisoning), tetrodotoxin, among many others.
While many folks have begun buying at farmer’s Markets they are no guarantee that their food id completely safe.
Are you looking for the responsibly grown gift for business associates, family or friends? A quick visit to http://sunburstoranges.com can solve all of your fresh gift giving adventures. We sell only the finest selections and the freshest citrus you can buy.
Presented By:
Sunburst Oranges
180 South “E” Street
Porterville, CA 93257
559-561-3391
